Chemical composition of the paint for tattooing

Every color, including the colors designed for tattooing, contains a pigment and diluents.

For the tattooing paints are used different kinds of pigments like chirurgic micro granules, natural, organic or mineral pigments. The micro granules are very expensive, but they have high color intensity, brightness and permanence. Today’s mineral pigments are also good. They are very beneficial for the tattooing because they do not react to fat or lymph cells. This helps the pigment to stay in place. The colors of this pigment have high intensity and do not change much after their injecting under the skin. The best part is that mineral pigments do not cause allergic reactions. In addition, they are very thrifty thanks to their consistency. Most mineral pigments are clear oxides of iron and zinc.

The natural and organic pigments are not used very often. They are characterized with negative properties. First of all, they are not fully dissoluble and that makes them easy to come out of the right place. Second, natural pigments are not as safe as the mineral and could cause allergic reactions. And third, they sometimes change their color, which is something very unpleasant.

Latterly, tattoo artists use some original and interesting fluorescent pigments. They contain synthetic polymer particles. These pigments are hypoallergenic. This is stated in the medical society which uses it for its own purposes. They are accepted well by the organism and do not incline to go to the wrong places. It is easy to figure out that such tattoos look very impressive and intriguing in the dark.

In Japan, women used rice and dust for their tattoos. They rubbed them into little cuts. The peculiarity of these tattoos is that they could not be seen all the time. They become visible only during intimate closeness, water procedures or high excitement.

As diluents could be used many different substances: alcohol, water, propylene glycol, glycerin or sorbitol. The purpose of the diluents is helping the pigment to spread under the skin. Nowadays, the most popular thinner among tattooists is the sorbitol. It is a lot like the glycerol, but it forms an oily film which helps the pigment’s penetration under the skin and allows higher ink intensity.